Skilled migrant category changes confirmed for August 2026  

The trades and technician pathway

One of the confirmed changes is the introduction of the Trades and Technician pathway.

This pathway is designed for migrants working in specified ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 trade and technician occupations.

To qualify under this pathway, applicants must generally:

• Work in an eligible trade or technician role 
• Hold a relevant Level 4 or higher qualification recognised on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
• Have at least four years of directly relevant post qualification work experience including 1.5 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand paid at or above the Skilled Migrant Category median wage  

Immigration New Zealand has also confirmed the list of occupations eligible for this pathway. These roles cover a wide range of technical and trade occupations across industries such as construction, engineering, manufacturing, automotive and specialist technical work.

Many of these occupations previously had limited pathways to residence under earlier Skilled Migrant Category settings.

Eligible occupation list

The Skilled Work Experience pathway 

This pathway applies to skilled ANZSCO level 1 to 3 roles and allows eligible migrants to qualify for residence based on their skilled work experience.

For occupations not on the red or amber lists, applicants must:

• Work in an ANZSCO skill level 1–3 role 
• Have at least five years of directly relevant work experience including two years of skilled work experience in New Zealand earning at least 1.1 times the Skilled Migrant Category median wage 

Different requirements apply to occupations on the amber list. For those roles, applicants must have five years of eligible work experience in New Zealand, including two years of skilled work experience earning at least 1.2 times the median wage. 

Self-employment cannot be used to meet directly relevant work experience requirements under either the Trades and Technician pathway or the Skilled Work Experience pathway.

Occupations on the red list are not eligible for the new residence pathways. 

Workers in those occupations can only qualify for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category if they meet the requirements of an existing pathway, such as earning at least 1.5 times the median wage, holding a qualifying degree, or holding recognised occupational registration. 

Red and amber occupation lists

The red and amber occupation lists were first announced in September 2025 and are designed to help manage immigration risk within the Skilled Migrant Category.

These lists determine whether a role can use the new residence pathways and whether additional requirements apply.

Immigration New Zealand has indicated that the lists will be reviewed regularly, meaning occupations may be added or removed over time.

Occupations currently on the red and amber lists

Immigration New Zealand has now confirmed the first occupations appearing on the red and amber lists.

Examples of occupations on the amber list include: 

• Chefs  
• Bakers  
• Pastrycooks  
• Café and restaurant managers  
• Accommodation and hospitality managers  
• Some ICT support roles  

Examples of occupations on the red list include:

• Retail managers  
• Hospitality, retail and service managers NEC  
• Hairdressers  
• Beauty therapists  
• Massage therapists  
• Hair and beauty salon managers  

Occupations on the red list cannot access the new residence pathways and must instead qualify through existing Skilled Migrant Category settings. 

Occupations on the amber list can still access the Skilled Work Experience pathway, but additional work experience and wage requirements apply. 

Qualification changes

Immigration New Zealand has provided further detail around how qualifications will be assessed under the new Skilled Migrant Category settings.

Applicants claiming points for a Level 8 or Level 9 qualification must hold a supporting bachelor’s degree or equivalent undergraduate qualification.

Evidence must be provided for both qualifications. This includes qualification certificates and academic transcripts.

Applicants claiming 5 points for a master’s degree, obtained in New Zealand from a New Zealand education institute, are exempt from this requirement and do not need to provide evidence of holding a bachelor’s degree.

For overseas qualifications, an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) will generally still be required unless the qualification appears on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment.

The Government has also clarified how qualifications will be assessed under the Trades and Technician pathway.

New Zealand qualifications must total at least 120 credits. Those credits can be made up of more than one qualification where lower-level qualifications are a prerequisite for higher-level qualifications.

For overseas qualifications, the 120 credit requirement does not apply. Instead, applicants will generally need an IQA confirming the qualification is assessed at Level 4 or above.

These changes provide greater clarity around how qualifications will be assessed while recognising that overseas qualification structures do not always align directly with New Zealand credit systems.

Wage-setting changes

One of the most significant changes relates to how wage thresholds will apply when migrants are working towards a residence pathway.

Under previous settings, migrants could begin gaining eligible work experience at one wage threshold and later find they needed to meet a higher threshold before becoming eligible for residence.

From 24 August 2026, most Skilled Migrant Category applicants will only need to meet the wage threshold that applied at the time their visa was granted to start accumulating skilled work experience.

They must continue earning at least that amount when applying for residence, but will not generally need to meet any higher threshold introduced later.

A five month grace period will also apply where wage thresholds increase after a migrant starts work. If skilled employment begins within five months of a work visa being granted, the wage threshold that applied on the date the visa was approved can still be used.

Applicants can generally rely on the wage rate that applied when their work visa was granted, provided they begin earning that rate within five months and meet all other pathway requirements.

The Government has also aligned wage settings across several Work to Residence pathways, including the Tier 2 Green List, Care Workforce and Transport Sector pathways.

These changes are intended to provide greater certainty for migrants planning a pathway to residence and reduce the impact of wage threshold increases occurring after employment has already commenced.

Pay rates for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

Why the wage-setting changes matter 

Under previous settings, some migrants could begin gaining eligible work experience at one wage threshold, only to later find the threshold had increased before they became eligible to apply for residence. 

The updated settings may provide more certainty by allowing migrants to rely on the wage threshold that applied when they began gaining skilled work experience, provided they continue earning at least that amount when applying for residence. 

Genuine employment requirements 

Employment must be available and ongoing and there must be a genuine need for the role to be based in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand has strengthened the genuine employment requirements that apply across skilled residence pathways.

These settings broadly align residence applications with the genuine employment assessment already used for Accredited Employer Work Visa applications.

For most applicants and employers, this clarification is unlikely to create additional requirements. However, it gives Immigration New Zealand clearer grounds to decline applications where there are concerns about the legitimacy of the employment arrangement.

English test validity and professional registration 

Two additional changes will take effect from late August 2026.

English language test results will be valid for five years for applicants who hold recognised occupational registration.

In addition, accountants who are able to undertake the work of a Qualified Statutory Accountant in New Zealand and who hold membership with Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) Australia will be recognised under the Skilled Migrant Category pathway.

Future ability to extend the Accredited Employer Work Visa 

Immigration New Zealand has also confirmed a future change allowing some migrants to extend their Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

Migrants who need up to 12 additional months of skilled work experience to meet Skilled Migrant Category requirements will be able to apply for an AEWV extension to complete that experience.

This extension option is scheduled to be introduced in 2027, with further details to be released closer to implementation.

What this means in practice  

The updated Skilled Migrant Category settings create clearer residence pathways for some skilled workers, while also introducing additional restrictions and requirements for certain occupations. 

Whether someone qualifies for residence will depend on how several factors interact, including:

• Whether the occupation appears on the relevant pathway or red and amber lists 
• Qualification level 
• Occupational registration 
• Directly relevant work experience 
• Wage levels during skilled work in New Zealand 
• Whether English language requirements can be met 

For some migrants, the updated pathways may create more realistic long term residence options than previously existed. 

For others, particularly those in red or amber list occupations, residence eligibility may become more restricted or require higher thresholds to be met. 

For migrants planning a pathway to residence, it will be important to confirm that occupation, qualification, wage, work experience and employment requirements all align with the pathway being considered.

For employers, these changes are also likely to affect workforce planning and retention conversations, particularly where migrant workers are considering long term settlement in New Zealand. 

Because the new settings do not take effect until 24 August 2026, there is still time for employers and migrants to review how these changes may affect future residence planning. 

However, waiting until the changes are in force may leave some people with fewer options than expected.

Review your situation with a licensed immigration adviser 

Immigration settings often look straightforward in policy announcements, but eligibility for residence usually depends on how the rules apply to a specific role, qualification and work history.